Why You Might Not Actually Need Premium Gas

Consumer Reports tested fuel economy and acceleration with different grades of gasoline

By Consumer Reports

Updated February 20, 2026

Close-up of person paying for gas at pump

Premium gas sounds like it’s something special. But it translates into paying extra for a higher octane without any performance or fuel-economy benefits for many cars.

That’s what we found after running tests at our 327-acre track.

Some cars require premium gas, but others simply carry a recommendation that owners use it. We wanted to see whether owners can save money by using regular gas for cars that manufacturers merely recommend using premium fuel.

In this article

How We Tested Regular vs. Premium Gas
Cost Difference Between Regular & Premium Gas
Advice on Regular vs. Premium Gas

How We Tested Regular vs. Premium Gas

To determine whether using regular gas in a vehicle that comes with a recommendation to use premium gas had any effect on fuel economy or acceleration, we evaluated two models: a 2015 Acura TLX four-cylinder and a 2016 Nissan Maxima V6 (both shown below). Each comes with a recommendation—but not a requirement—to use premium gas. That guidance can be found on the inside of their fuel-filler door and is often explained in greater detail in the owner’s manual.

The powertrain warranty should protect owners as long as they fuel the vehicle according to the instructions in the owner’s manual.

We contacted Acura and Nissan to ask why both automakers recommend premium gas.

An Acura spokesperson referred us to the TLX’s owner’s manual, which states: “Use of lower-octane gasoline can cause occasional metallic knocking noise in the engine and will result in decreased engine performance.”

Such sounds are caused by fuel preignition. Over time, this can damage the engine and affect long-term reliability.

A Nissan spokesperson wrote in an email that “it is possible for the same performance to be realized using non-premium fuel.” However, the spokesperson added that there could be some conditions where performance—which includes fuel economy—might be compromised, such as on extremely hot days. Nissan also said that it recommends the use of premium fuel to guarantee advertised performance.

Cost Difference Between Regular & Premium Gas

According to AAA’s national average gas prices, as of Feb. 20, 2026, the difference between regular and premium gas was about 87 cents. Owners who pay for premium gas when they don’t need it can hurt their budget needlessly.

Below, we highlight the potential savings using regular instead of premium fuel, assuming 12,000 miles per year and current gas prices.

Using Regular vs. Premium Gas

Fuel Economy	Savings per Year
30 mpg	$351
25 mpg	$421
20 mpg	$526
15 mpg	$702

Advice on Regular vs. Premium Gas

It’s okay to use regular even if the manufacturer recommends using premium gas. But you should check your owner’s manual before making the switch, and remember that some automakers say premium is required.

Wondering about the long-term effects of switching to regular fuel? In short, there’s no harm in using regular fuel in vehicles if premium fuel isn’t required by the automaker.

When premium fuel is merely recommended, and the car runs fine on regular, stick with that. But if, over time, it starts making pinging noises, try upgrading to premium fuel.

If you’re experiencing pinging using the fuel required by the automaker, whether regular or premium, have the car diagnosed by a professional mechanic.

Using premium fuel in a vehicle that doesn’t require it won’t harm the vehicle, but it’s probably a waste of money.

In the Acura owner’s manual, the automaker recommends only using “Top Tier detergent gasoline”—which can be of any octane grade, regular or premium—for performance and reliability reasons. (Learn more about Top Tier fuel.)

In addition to these test findings, keep in mind that our car reliability data consistently show that the most dependable cars tend to run on regular fuel.